Zoology Commons^™

Evolution Of Bat-Trypanosome Associations And The Origins Of Chagas Disease, Christian Miguel Pinto

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi is a genetically diverse parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most important zoonoses in the Americas. This generalist parasite of mammals belongs to a clade mostly comprised of bat parasites, the T. cruzi clade. The origins (i.e., biogeographic history and evolution of hosts associations) of this parasite are far from being understood, and the main areas that need further study are: species limits within T. cruzi sensu lato, further studies on the diversity of T. cruzi clade members and their hosts, and research on adaptations of the hosts to trypanosome infections. In this dissertation I explore …

Comparative Phylogeography, Phylogenetics, And Population Genomics Of East African Montane Small Mammals, Terrence Constant Demos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Eastern Afromontane region of Africa is characterized by striking levels of endemism and species richness which rank it as a global biodiversity hotspot for diverse plants and animals including mammals, but has been poorly sampled and little studied to date. Using mtDNA and multi-locus nDNA sequence data, genome-wide RAD-Seq SNP data, and morphological data, I identify major cryptic biogeographic patterns within and between 11 co-distributed small mammal species/species groups across the Eastern Afromontane region. I focus on two endemic montane small mammal species complexes, Hylomyscus mice and Sylvisorex shrews, co-distributed across the Albertine Rift (AR) and Kenya Highlands (KH) …

Rendering The Unthinkable: (Un)Knowable Animality, Compulsory Recovery, And Heterosexualized Trauma In The Hunger Games, Jennifer Polish

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dystopian fiction is expected to reflect deeply on the interactions between identities, bodies, and state control. Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games Trilogy is no exception. The disturbing trilogy situated animality, disability, and trauma (both of non-humans and of humans) as being firmly controlled by the power of the state (the Capitol). Through its portrayal of hunting and genetic manipulation, the trilogy constructed a state-created animality which refused definitive labeling and insisted upon facing animal subjectivity while simultaneously disregarding the needs and desires of those considered to be non-human. Similarly, the state held sway over both the creation and elimination of …

Multilocus Coalescent Analyses Reveal The Demographic History Of Mouse Lemur Sister Species., Christopher Blair, Kellie L. Heckman, Amy L. Russell, Anne D. Yoder

Publications and Research

Debate continues as to whether allopatric speciation or peripatric speciation through a founder effect is the predominant force driving evolution in vertebrates. The mouse lemurs of Madagascar are a system in which evolution has generated a large number of species over a relatively recent time frame. Here, we examine speciation patterns in a pair of sister species of mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus and M. griseorufus. These two species have ranges that are disparately proportioned in size, with M. murinus showing a much more extensive range that marginally overlaps that of M. griseorufus. Given that these two species are …

Agalychnis Dacnicolor—Predation., Víctor H. Jiménez-Arcos, Eric Centenero-Alcala, Leopoldo D. Vázquez Reyes, Christopher Blair, Samuel A. Santa Cruz-Padilla

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Ecological Genetics Of Chinese Rhesus Macaque In Response To Mountain Building: All Things Are Not Equal, Shan-Jin Wu, Jing Luo, Qing-Qing Li, Yan-Qin Wang, Robert E. Murphy, Christopher Blair, Shi-Fang Wu, Bi-Song Yue, Ya-Ping Zhang

Publications and Research

Pliocene uplifting of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and Quaternary glaciation may have impacted the Asian biota more than any other events. Little is documented with respect to how the geological and climatological events influenced speciation as well as spatial and genetic structuring, especially in vertebrate endotherms. Macaca mulatta is the most widely distributed non-human primate. It may be the most suitable model to test hypotheses regarding the genetic consequences of orogenesis on an endotherm.

The Impact Of Gut Passage By Binturongs (Arctictus Binturong) On Seed Germination, Christina P. Colon, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz

Publications and Research

Binturongs (Arctictis binturong) are the largest of Asian civets and, due to their highly frugivorous diet, are expected to play an important role in seed dispersal processes. To study the effect of binturong gut passage on seed viability, we fed 10 captive binturongs with fruits of longan (Dimocarpus longan), papaya (Carica papaya) and chiku (Manilkara zapota), collected the seeds they defaecated, and planted these to determine seed germination rate and time. Of the defaecated seeds, 90.4% passed through binturong gut intact in under nine hours, and 99.4% passed in under 33 hours. Chiku seeds had the highest germination rate (35.7% …

Sceloporus Clarkii—Nocturnal Foraging, Christopher Blair, Noberto Martinez-Mendez, Rafael A. Lara-Resendiz

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Notes On The Diet Of The Malay Civet (Viverra Tangalunga) And Other Civets In Logged And Unlogged Lowland Dipterocarp Rain Forests In Sabah, Borneo, Christina P. Colon, John B. Sugau

Publications and Research

Civet diets were examined in a logged and unlogged Bornean rain forest. Malay civets (Viverra tangalunga) consumed invertebrates, fruit, rodents, insectivores, birds, snakes and lizards, and appear to show preference for centipedes and scorpions. Other civet species consumed fruit, such as figs, Connarus sp. and Annona sp., particularly in the unlogged forest, but also consumed invertebrates and vertebrates. Reduced fruit consumption observed in the logged forest may be due to lower availability and may be offset by increased consumption of invertebrates. The increased overlap in diet between Malay civets and other civets in disturbed areas may lead to …

Parasites Of Civets (Mammalia, Viverridae) In Sabah, Borneo: A Coprological Survey, Christina P. Colon, Sharon Patton

Publications and Research

Parasite data were collected from unlogged and selectively logged lowland rain forests in Borneo. Scat from a female Viverra tangalunga (Malay civet) in the unlogged forest contained eggs of Capillaria spp., Trichuris sp., Mamomoganomus sp., and nematode larvae. Scat attributed to V. tangalunga contained reproductive products (eggs/oocysts/cysts/larvae) of Capillaria sp., Toxocara sp., Ancylostoma sp. (probably A. ceylanicum), Isospora spp., strongylate-type eggs (probably Ancylostoma spp.), Paragoni­ mus sp. and other Trematoda eggs, Monocystis sp. cysts, Gnathostoma sp. (probably G. spinigerum), the lungworm Viverrostrongylus brauni, pinworm-type eggs, Eimeria spp., Sarcocystis-type sporocyst, dermanysid mites and mesostigmatid mites. Parasites from gut samples from two …

Rehg Studies Monkeys To Better Understand Humans, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Schulz Investigates Threat Of Invasive Species, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Ecology Of The Malay Civet (Viverra Tangalunga) In A Logged And An Unlogged Forest In Sabah, East Malaysia, Christina P. Colon

Publications and Research

Malay civets in a dipterocarp rain forest were studied from December, 1995, through June, 1997, in the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve in Sabah, East Malaysia. To investigate the basic ecology of this species and explore the potential impact of selective logging, data on home range, activity and diet were collected on study animals in an unlogged and a selectively logged forest, and comparisons made.

Density in the unlogged forest was 1/0.46 km² , and 1/1.07 km² in the logged forest. Mean home range size based on a 95% minimum convex polygon was 110 ha. and did not differ …

Los Zoológicos: ¿Último Recurso?, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Lo Que Todos Debemos Saber: Las Reglas De La Nomenclatura Zoológica, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

La Nueva Sección De Hidrobiología Del Museo De Zoología De Barcelona, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.